TRAIL INFORMATION Trails Location Map (pdf, 88kb) Oranoaken Creek Trail - Blue markers Skill Level - Intermediate Distance: 7 mile loop or 4.2 miles to Turkey Point boat launch Paddling Time: 2.5 - 5 hours Launch: Beaver Dam Boat Rentals - private boat livery/launch on CR 553, Newport Trail Map (pdf, 83kb) Turkey Point Trail - Green markers Skill Level - Intermediate Distance: 10.5 mile loop Paddling Time: 3.5 - 7 hours Launch: End of Turkey Point Rd. Trail Map (pdf, 43kb)

Colored markers will guide your journey Click to enlarge

Hansey Creek Trail - Orange markers
Skill Level - Intermediate
Distance: 7.7 mile loop
Paddling Time: 3 - 5.5 hours
Launch: End of Hansey Creek Rd.
Trail Map (pdf, 41kb

Berrytown Trail - Yellow markers
Skill Level - Intermediate
Distance: 3 mile loop or 5.7 miles to Hansey Creek boat launch
Paddling Time: 1.5 -3.5 hours
Launch: End of Berrytown Rd. NOTE: road can be rough and frequently floods at high tide. Unload, then park on higher ground.
Trail Map (pdf, 37kb)

Each trail can be paddled as a loop or combined with other trails for a destinational paddle. Each trail is marked with colored poles. Poles are usually placed close enough to see the next pole in the distance. Stay alert at creek intersections to avoid taking a wrong turn.

Each waterway is rated based on calm weather and water conditions, appropriate level of paddling experience and length of trail. All these trails require intermediate to advanced skills under calm conditions. Understand that tidal waterways do not always fit into one category of difficulty and may change due to fluctuations in the water levels and rate of water flow due to tides, wind, lack of access points, inclement weather, or other disturbances and obstructions.

The paddling times are estimates only (speed 2-3 mph). Wind, tide and ability can have a tremendous affect on your actual time. Leave plenty of time to complete your paddle during daylight.

Be aware that paddling up side creeks and guts on a falling tide could leave you stranded in the mud. Crossing the marsh on foot is difficult.

You will be paddling through the following areas:

The Glades Wildlife Refuge
The Glades Wildlife Refuge is a 7,500-acre expanse of diverse landscapes owned by the Natural Lands Trust (www.natlands.org/), a non-profit conservation organization serving southern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The Glades encompasses vast tidal marshes, wooded uplands, Delaware Bay beaches, and old growth forest.

The Glades Refuge was once part of southern New Jersey's agricultural and maritime economy. Crumbling foundations and fields reverting to woodland are evidence of former agriculture. Farming, fishing and crabbing remain popular activities outside of the preserve's boundaries.

The Glades is a haven for wildlife, providing year-round habitat for many ducks, marsh birds, hawks, bald eagles, and various upland birds as well as fox, deer, otter, and other mammals. The area is also an important wintering place for snow geese and a crucial habitat for migratory shorebirds in the fall and spring. Look for these creatures as you paddle.

Egg Island WMA
This WMA, managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, is a vast, windswept salt marsh, dotted with hummocks of cedar trees, bayberry bushes, sumac, and common reeds. Numerous tidal creeks await the explorer, crabber, or angler. There is a large pond in the middle of the tract, accessible only by boat, that wintering waterfowl find attractive. Egg Island WMA map

Look for rails, mussels and fiddler crabs at the edge of the water, and egrets and herons in the marsh. Bald eagles, northern harriers, red-tailed hawks, and many species of terns and gulls may be seen while paddling. Thousands of snow geese and other waterfowl frequent the marsh in fall and winter.

PSEG Wetland Restoration Site
One project of PSEG's Estuary Enhancement Program is the Commercial Twp. Wetland Restoration Site (https://corporate.pseg.com/corporatecitizenship/environmentalpolicyandinitiatives/estuaryenhancementprogram, pdf, 3mb). Once a salt hay farm, the site includes the preservation of upland buffer habitat and the enhancement of 2,900 acres of previously diked wetlands. The area provides important wintering habitat for waterfowl, crucial migratory habitat for shorebirds in the fall and spring, and spawning and nursery habitat for fish.

A paddle through this area at low tide in the spring or fall will reveal thousands of shorebirds feeding on the mudflats. This is also a favorite feeding and resting spot for teal and other waterfowl. Diamondback terrapins bask on the shore.

Look for rails, raccoons, mussels and fiddler crabs at the edge of the water, and egrets and herons in the marsh. Bald eagles, northern harriers, red-tailed hawks, and many species of shorebirds, terns and gulls fill the sky. Look for these creatures as you paddle.

DIRECTIONS

Clicking on the name of the launch point below will open a Google Maps window or tab showing the approximate location.

Beaver Dam Boat Rentals
Turkey Point
Hansey Creek Trail
Berrytown Trail